A Speculative Chart for Saddam Hussein
Zip Dobyns
Among the most destructive of the world’s dictators, I would list Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Milosevik in Serbia. I have worked with several possible birth times for Saddam, including times favored by Near Eastern astrologers, but I have never been satisfied with any of them. I recently acquired a biography of Saddam and went back to the drawing board with a list of events in his life. The chart presented here is definitely speculative, but readers can join me in testing it on future events.
I wrote about recent cardinal ingress charts calculated for Baghdad in the last issue of The Mutable Dilemma, and have now checked the future ones for all of 1999. Readers will remember that the Libra 1998 ingress, when the transiting Sun entered 0 degrees of Libra, was a critical one. The dramatic asteroids included the United Nations and Photographica on the Ascendant with Skuld (fate) included with an overlapping orb. It was Saddam’s rejection of the United Nations’ inspections for weapons of mass destruction which brought the bombing by the U.S. and Britain. What are the odds that the preceding cardinal ingress would have the asteroid named for the U.N. exactly on the Ascendant? Libitina (death) was exactly on the Descendant, square Nobel (dynamite), Hiroshima (atom bomb) and Anacostia (river in Washington, DC) in 4 Aquarius, and Hammurabi completed a grand cross in fixed signs for a potentially deadly power confrontation. Hammurabi was an ancient ruler of the region that is now Iraq, and one of the models for Saddam who hoped to emulate his conquests and power in the Near East. Uranus was exactly on the IC in the chart, trioctile Washingtonia. The midpoints of Saturn and the lunar nodes, which I read as lessons, were octile or trioctile Siva (god of destruction) and Hel (death goddess) in Leo in the tenth house. Bellona (war goddess) in Scorpio opposed Hephaistos (maker of weapons) with the lunar nodes completing a grand cross, and it was also quincunx Arabia in Aries and octile the Sun/Moon midpoint. The Moon’s Apogee, (the point of its greatest distance from earth) formed a T-square with Saturn and Vesta that was just over a degree from the Baghdad Ascendant, but well within orb for the major planets. America was quincunx Saturn, just over a degree from the second cusp so opposed to the eighth, which is one of the keys to endings, including death.
In spite of the terrible chart, I had hoped that violence could be averted, but the U.S. began its bombing campaign before the end of the Libra ingress period. The next (Capricorn 1998) ingress in Baghdad had Hela (death goddess) on the Ascendant with Hel (another name for the same goddess) just over one degree from the MC. We have to realize that much of the bombing campaign involves other parts of Iraq, not just the capital, so these death asteroids may be on the angles in the target areas. Coventry, named for a town in England noted for the tyranny of a foreign conqueror, was on Hela and the Ascendant, to connect England to the action, and Williams, for Bill Clinton, and Anacostia (a river in Washington, DC), squared them from 2 Pisces to connect the U.S. Chaldaea, named for an ancient kingdom in the region, was on the eighth house cusp of endings, which can include death, and Themis (divine justice) was on the Sun, with Nemesis (who ‘got’ you if you flouted Themis) just past them and just over a degree from the second house cusp. Again, in part of the country, these factors would be within one degree of this potentially fatal two-eight axis. Finally, a cluster of factors in Capricorn squared Mars: Venus, America, Icarus, Ra-Shalom (named for the Camp David peace agreement), and Atlantis if we allow overlapping orbs. As is the case with the traditional factors, the names of the asteroids signify “issues.” An asteroid named for peace may point to the presence of peace, actions involving it, the loss of it, a need for it, etc. Many more aspects could be mentioned, but the main message of the chart is the potential of continuing conflict.
I had looked ahead to the Aries 1999 ingress, and had seen that death was a potential that will be already present when the Sun reaches 0 Aries on March 21. (This is being written in early March). As I have often written, Juno is another Pluto, and both of them will be exactly on the MC in Baghdad. Tyr, the Norse war god, and America are rising though not exactly on the Ascendant in Baghdad. America squares Chiron in the ninth house. The Moon squares Uranus with the Sun at their midpoint, octile both. The Moon is also quincunx Washingtonia in the eighth house, and the latter just misses a trioctile to the Baghdad Ascendant, so it is exact in much of the country. Three asteroids on the IC include Astraea (human justice), Megaira (a key to vengeance) and Sisyphus who kept rolling the stone uphill. The IC symbolizes the land and the ordinary people. It is, of course, the children who suffer most, dying from illnesses partly due to malnutrition and lack of medical help. Sisyphus along with the other two asteroids conveys the feeling that there is no end in sight to their misery.
I have not yet looked at the asteroids in the other three cardinal ingress charts for 1999, but even a quick glance at the standard planets is not encouraging. At the Cancer ingress, Pluto is less than four degrees from the MC, and wider orbs are allowed for traditional planets. Pluto is also just over one degree from a square to the East Point. Saturn forms a T-square to Venus and the north lunar node in Leo, and Uranus and the south lunar node in Aquarius. Mars in the eighth house is octile the MC, trioctile the East Point, and opposite Jupiter. Vesta opposes the Ascendant and squares Juno and Chiron in Scorpio and Pallas in Taurus.
The Libra 1999 ingress has its Baghdad MC in Scorpio holding a grand cross to the lunar nodes and Saturn in the fourth house. Uranus is included in the configuration conjunct the south node. Pluto is octile the Ascendant, with Mars on one side and Juno on the other.
The Capricorn 1999 ingress puts Pluto back to just over one degree from the MC in Baghdad, and it is joined by Chiron. Mars in the twelfth house squares Venus in the ninth, and Neptune conjunct the south lunar node is also in the twelfth house widely square Saturn but exactly octile the Antivertex. What kind of man is capable of subjecting his people to years of suffering? His biography tells a chilling story.
As indicated above, there is no known recorded birth time for Saddam Hussein, but he was reportedly born on April 28, 1937 in Tikrit, Iraq. His father died before he was born, and his mother was unable to care for him. He was raised by an uncle who beat him, in a society noted for paranoia and cruelty. The message he received from birth was a need to be in control for self-preservation. I chose the birth time of 22:54 (7:54 P.M. UT) to put the Aries Saturn, key to a father, in the third house (which includes uncles along with other collateral relatives) with an exact square to the Ascendant in Capricorn for the personal conflict with the authority figure. Both Saturn in Aries and Ascendant in Capricorn are one-ten combinations. They can range from “my will is law” to “the world has all the power and I am helpless.” From Saddam’s biography, he has spent his whole life trying to achieve the first to avoid the second outcome.
The East Point in Capricorn provides another one-ten combination, while the first house Jupiter is an identification with God. As always, the details can range wildly; in this case from “I am God and have the right and the power to do what I want” to “Unless I am perfect, I am worthless. I must only do God’s will.” Jupiter opposes Pluto and squares Venus to form a cardinal T-square, which becomes a grand cross by including the MC, if this birth time is accurate. The close Sun-Uranus conjunction in Taurus and Mercury in Taurus show the additional determination and tenacity of the fixed sides of life. Pallas, Ceres, and the Antivertex in Aquarius (if the birth time is accurate) add to the fixed will along with Mars in the Aquarius house, again subject to birth time. An emphasis on conflict aspects involving fixed and cardinal factors indicates a power-struggle life. When handled constructively, this can express in sports, games, business, and fighting for causes. The destructive potentials are appalling, as seen in Saddam’s life.
The mutable sides of life are all mental, and despite his destructive life, Saddam is not stupid. The lunar nodes in Gemini-Sagittarius mark the perpetual student, teacher, writer or traveler. They are supported by Mars and the Moon in Sagittarius, Chiron in Gemini, and Neptune and Juno in Virgo. However, the mutables form a strong T-square to show conflict involving beliefs, goals, values, and the physical world of what is possible. The conflict may simply be between ideals and what is possible. Or the individual may lack clear beliefs and goals and end up literally lost a lot of the time. The latter manifestation of the principles is rarely found when the emphasis in the chart is on fire and earth as in Saddam’s case. Another alternative is a lack of faith, focusing on the negative potentials of life, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Saddam’s life fits his biographers’ description of him as lacking faith in anything other than his own power and a few trusted relatives, and even the latter have often been killed when his paranoia took over.
Turning to the asteroids, Hestia is the Greek name for the Roman goddess Vesta, and has a similar potential for a one-pointed concentration on an immediate job which can lead to lack of awareness of, or indifference to, the impact of one’s actions on other people and the wider scene. A kind of ruthlessness is possible with the “tunnel-vision” focus on the desired achievement. If this birth time is accurate, Saddam was born with Hestia on the Ascendant, and P Saturn would have remained square to it for years. Vesta in the seventh house was quincunx the north lunar node, reinforcing the mutable conflict between goals and limits, but P Neptune has held a lifetime sextile to Vesta so its efficiency potential has been successfully channeled into some of his goals. He has been successful in gaining and keeping control of Iraq, but has over-reached in many ways, including in his war with Iran and his defiance of the West.
Saddam seems to be totally lacking in any morality which includes empathy or compassion. Among the asteroids which fit this picture are Medea (who killed her children to get even with her ex-husband) on Jupiter, and Atropos (a death goddess) on Pallas. Columbia (for our capital), and another death goddess, Hela, are on the tentative Descendant, with Hela square Saturn. Still another, Libitina, is on the eighth house cusp if this birth time is accurate, with Bellona, a war goddess, just over one degree past it. Hel, another name for Hela, squares Vesta from 15 Libra. Anubis in 3 Cancer conjuncts Arabia and is quincunx Mars. Karma in 4 Taurus completes a yod to Mars with Anubis. Ra-Shalom, named for the Camp David peace agreement, and Medusa, who turned viewers to stone from their fear, are both in 4 Gemini opposite Mars. America in 6 Pisces is octile Venus, and Washingtonia in 29 Virgo opposes Saturn. Brita, named for Great Britain, is conjunct the south lunar node as a key to a lesson.
Many more asteroids might be mentioned, but we also need to note the progressed positions when Saddam’s defiance was countered by the U.S. and England initiating bombing raids against Iraq on December 16, 1998. Saddam’s P Sun had reached a sextile to his N Sun, an aspect which can mark a two-year period of fame and power for the subject. The fame was certainly there, along with the use and abuse of power, as the P Sun formed a square to both N and P Atlantis in 7 Libra. P Sun was also conjunct Nemesis and P Wright, for the inventor of heavier-than-air planes that carried some of the bombs. P Pluto has been opposite Jupiter for Saddam’s whole life, and P Pallas retrograded back to conjunct Jupiter and oppose Pluto in time for the new stage of Iraq’s war with the west. P Mercury was quincunx both Jupiter and P Pallas, and P Chiron just behind Mercury was octile P Vesta for Saddam’s seriously flawed judgment.
As I have written many times, I read the midpoints of Saturn and the lunar nodes as keys to major lessons. Natal Saturn/north node was square and Saturn/south node was conjunct N Sun. Saddam certainly had a lesson involving his ego (the Sun) and his use of power. P Vesta has been forming a T-square to these points, and was still square Uranus and P Saturn/P south node for the renewed fighting. P Sun had reached a quincunx to Saturn/north node while P Atropos was conjunct the midpoint and P Icarus was on P Atropos and square N Sun and N Uranus. One of the reasons for choosing this birth time was that it put P Moon on Saddam’s P Ascendant with both square N Moon. When P Moon is conjunct P Ascendant, P Part of Death will be conjunct the P eighth house cusp, and the latter was also quincunx N Mercury. The P MC, which depends on the birth time, was opposite Chiron, semisextile P Mars (which was quincunx Chiron), and trioctile Karma. P Themis was square Sumeria (the region of Iraq), quincunx Aten (a sun god) and Venus to form a yod, and opposite P Venus and N Phaethon (overreach). P Urania opposed P Uranus and both squared the Antivertex/Vertex axis. Saddam’s personal action (Antivertex) affecting other people in his life (Vertex) produced dramatic, explosive results (Uranus and Urania).
There is always more that could be added. One of the mixed messages is the very long-term aspects from Saturn with a trine to N Mars and a trioctile to P Mars which changed from retrograde to direct and so maintained aspects for many years. The trine shows his potential for successfully gaining and keeping power, while the trioctile shows problems in accomplishing this. Saddam appears to be hoping to turn the other western countries against the U.S. and England as well as hoping to win sympathy from his fellow Moslems. He apparently does not care how many Iraqis die as long as he can get enough food for his own branch of Islam, which is a minority in the country, his own “tribe,” and his Republican Guards. It is hard for a normal person to conceive the mental state of a Saddam Hussein, a Milosevik, the Talibans of Afghanistan, the rulers in North Korea, etc. The cardinal ingress charts for 1999 do not show any resolution of the confrontation or loss of Saddam’s personal power as his P Sun continues a sextile to N Sun and Uranus and P MC sextiles N MC, plus, if this birth time is right, his P MC moves into a trine to Venus. In time, we will look ahead to 2000.